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Show TpTUTTC! AX Novel from the Play U If I? II J M) $ By MARY ROBERTS RINEHART JJ Jw JJ and AVERY HOPWOOD "The Bat," copyright. 1330. by Mary Roberts Rlnehart and Avory Hopwood. WNU Servlca I i CHAPTER IX Continued 14 ' "Oh, no! I can't stand It I Til tell fou everything !" she cried, frenzledly. "He got to the foot of the staircase Richard Fleming, I mean," she was facing the detective, now, "and he had the blue-print you've been talking about. I had told him Jock Bailey was here as the gardener and he said If I screamed he would tell that. I was desperate. I threatened htm with the revolver but he took It from me. Then when I tore the blue-print from him he was shot from the stairs " "By Bailey !" interjected Beresford angrily. ' "I didn't even know he was In the house!" Bailey's answer was as Instant In-stant as it was hot Meanwhile the doctor had entered the room, hardly noticed. In the middle of Dale's confession, con-fession, and now stood watching the scene Intently from a post by the door. "What did you do with the blueprint?" blue-print?" The detective's voice beat at Dale like a whip. "I put it first in the neck of my dross " she faltered. "Then, when I found you were watching me, I hid It, somewhere else." "Did you give It to Bailey?" "No I hid It and then I told where It was to the doctor " Dale swayed on her feet. All turned surprisediy toward the doctor. Miss Cornelia rose from her chair. The doctor bore the battery of eyes unflinchingly. "That's rather Inaccurate," he said, with a tight little smile. "You told me where you had placed it, "but when I went to look for It, it was gone." "Are you quite sure of that?" queried Miss Cornelia acridly. The doctor's voice gained strength. "Absolutely." he said. He ignored the rest of the party, addressing himself directly to Anderson. "She said she had hidden It inside one of the rolls that were on the tray on the table," he continued, in tones of easy explanation, approaching the table as he did so, and tapping it with the boi of sleeping-powders he had brought for Miss Cornelia. "She was In such distress that I finally went to look for It It wasn't there." "Do you realize the significance of this paper?" Anderson boomed, at once. "Nothing, beyond the fact that Miss Ogden was afraid It linked her with the crime." The doctor's voice was rery clear and firm. Anderson pondered on Instant. Then "I'd like to hare a few minutes with the doctor alone," he said, somberly. som-berly. The group about him dissolved at once. Miss Cornelia, her arm around her niece's waist, led the latter gently to the door. As the two lovers passed each other a glance flashed between them a glance, pathetically brief, of longing And love. Pale's finger-tips brushed Bailey's hand, gently, In passing. "Beresford," commanded the detective, detec-tive, "take Bailey to the library and see that he stays there." Beresford tapped his pocket with a significant gesture and motioned Bailey to the door. Tli','i they, too, left the room. The door closed. The doctor and the detective were alone. The detective spoke at once and surprisingly. "Doc-tor, I'll have that blue-print!" he said sternly, his eyes the color of steel. The doctor gave him a wary little glance. "But I've Jut made the statement that I didn't find the blue-print," he reaffirmed flatly. i im.hu juu. AininMjii f) voice was very dry. "Now this situation Is between you and me, Doctor Wells." His forefinger sought the doctor's chest. "It has nothing to do with that pr.or fool of a cashier. lie hasn't got either those securities or the money from them, and you know It. It's In this house, and you know that, too! Tonight, when you claimed to be making a professional call, yon were In this house and I think you were on that staircase when Itlchard Fleming was killed!" "No, Anderson, I'll swear I was not !" The doctor might be acting, but If he was. It was Incomparable acting. The terror In his voice seemed too real to be feigned. But Anderson was remorseless. "I'll tell you this," he continued. "Miss Van Gordor very cleverly got a thumb-print of yours tonight. Does that moan anything to you?" Ills eyes bored Into the doctor the e. es of a poker-player, binding on a hidden card. But the doctor (lid not llinch. 1 "Nothing," he said, firmly. "I have not been upstairs In this house In three ruonlhs." The accent of truth In his voice cotrioi so unmistakable that even Anderson's shrewd brain was puzzled by II. Bui he persisted In his attempt at-tempt l- wring a confession from this last suspect. "Before Courtlelgh Flemliu died 1!i be Ml you anything aboit a hidden hid-den room lu this house?" hi) queried caunlly. "You haven't been trying to frighten these women out of here with anonymous letters so you could get In?" "No. Certainly not." But again the doctor's air had that odd mixture of truth and falsehood In It. The detective paused for au Instant. "Let me see your key-ring!" he ordered. The doctor passed It over silently. The detective glanced at the keys then, suddenly, his revolver glittered In his other hand. 'The doctor watched him, anxiously. A puff of wind rattled the panes of the French windows. The storm, quieted qui-eted for a while, was gathering its strength for a fresh unleashing of its dogs of thunder. The detective stepped to the terrace door, opened it, and then quietly proceeded pro-ceeded to try the doctor's keys In the lock. Thus located he was out of visual range, and Wells took advan tage Ol U Ul OUfr. llU IIIUH'U 11 IUIJ toward the fireplace, extracting the missing piece of blue-print from an Inside pocket as he did so. The secret se-cret the blue-print guarded was already al-ready graven on his mind in Indelible characters now lie would destroy all evidence that It had ever been In his possession and bluff through the rest of the situation as best he might. He threw the paper toward the flames with a nervous gesture of relief. re-lief. But for once his cunning failed the throw was too hurried to he sure and the light scrap of paper wavered and settled to the floor just outside the fireplace. The doctor swore noiselessly and stooped to pick It up and make sure of Its destruction. But he was not quick enough. Throuu'h the window the detective had seen the incident, and the next moment the doctor heard his voice bark behind him. He turned, and stared at the leveled muzzle of Anderson's revolver. "Hands up and stand back!" he commanded. As he did so Anderson picked up the paper, and a sardonic smile crossed his face as his eyes took In .1,- - I , . , toe MgninL.iio e to loe pruiL. lie 1UIO his revolver down on the table where he could snatch It up again at a moment's notice. "Behind a fireplace, eh?" he muttered. mut-tered. "What fireplace? In what room ?" "I won't tell you!" The doctor's voice was sullen. He inched, gingerly, cautiously, toward the other side ol the table. "All right I'll find it, you know." The detective's eyes turned swiftly back to the blue-print. For a moment, as he bent over the paper again, he was off guard. Tlie doctor seized the moment wilii a savage promptitude and sprang. There followed u silent, furious struggle strug-gle betweeu the two. Under normal circumstances, Anderson would have been the stronger and quicker, but the doctor fought with an added strength of despair aud his initial leap had pinioned the detective's arms behind him. Now the detective shook one hand five and snatched at the revolver re-volver in vain, for the doctor, witli a groan of desperation, struck ut his hand as its fingers were about to close on the smooth butt and the revolver skidded from the table to the lloor. Witli u sudden terrible movement lie pinioned botli the detective's anas behind be-hind liiiu ugain and reached for the telephone. Its heavy base descended on the back of the detecLive's head with stunning force and the next moment mo-ment the battle was ended and the doctor, panting witli exhaustion, held the limp form of uu unconscious nian in liis arms. lie lowered the detective to the lloor aud bent swiftly over Anderson, lis toning to his heart. Good the man I i.....tw.,t ,. l,f,,l ..much ,,n lus SUM Ulv,l''',.vj "i- ..wf,.. .... ..... conscience without adding the murder mur-der of u detective to the black weight. Now lie pocketed the revolver and the blueprint gagged Anderson rapidly with a knotted handkerchief and proceeded pro-ceeded to wrap his own miilller urounil the detective's head us an additional silencer. AmUirson gave a faint sigh. The doctor thought rapidly. Soon or late the detective would return to coiim iousness with his hands free could easily tear out the gag. lie loolced wildly about the room for a rope a curtain ah, he had It the detective's own handcuffs ! lie snapped the cufl's on Anderson's wrists, then realized thut, In his hurry, he had bound the detective's hands In front of him Instead of behind him. Well It would do, for the moment lie did not need much time to carry out his plans. He dragged the limp body. Its head lolling, Into the hlllln.d room where he deposited It on the lloor In the corner farthest from the door. So far, no good now to lock the door of the billiard room. Fortunately, Fortunate-ly, the key was there, on the Inside of the door, lie quickly transferred It. looked the billiard room door from the outside and pocketed the key. Then be crossed cautiously Into the alcove und started to pad up the alcove stairs, his face white and hi ruined with excitement nnd hope. And It was then that there happened hap-pened one of the most dramatic events of the night. It was preceded by n desijenito Siutnuierlng ou Uiu door of the terrace. It halted the doctor on bis way upstairs, drew Beresford on a run into the living room, and even reached the bedrooms of the women up above. "My God! What't that?" Beresford Beres-ford panted. The doctor Indicated .the door. It was too late now. Already lie could hear Miss Cornelia's voice above; It was only a question of a short time until Anderson In the billiard rooe revived and would try to make his plight known. And in the brief mo meat of that resume of his position, the knocking came again. But feebler, as though the suppliant outside had exhausted his strength. As Beresford drew his revolver and moved to the door, Miss Cornelia came in, followed by Lizzie. "It's the Bat," Lizzie announced mournfully. "Good-by, Miss Nelly. I 1 'if mM Rouse Yourself, Man!" He Said. Good-by, everybody. I saw his hand, all covered with blood. He's had a gond night for sure !" But they ignored her. And Beresford Beres-ford flung open the door. Just what they had expected, what figure of horror or of fear they waited for, no one can say. But there was no horror and uo fear; only unutterable unutter-able uuiazement as an unknown man, in torn and muddied garments, with a streak of dried blood seaming his forehead like a scar, fell through the open doorway Into Beresford's arms. "Good God !" muttered Beresfurd. dropping his revolver to catch the strange burden. For a moment the Unknown lay lu bis arms like a corpse. Then he straightened dizzily, staggered stag-gered into the room, look u few stops toward the table and fell prostrate upon his face, ut the end of his strength. "Doctor!" gasped Miss Cornelia, dazedly and the doctor, whatever guilt lay on his conscience, responded at once to the call of his profession. He bent over the Unknown Man the pliician once more and made u brief examination. "He's fainted:" he said, rising. "Struck on the head, loo." "But who Is he?" faltered Miss Cornelia. Cor-nelia. "I never saw him before," said the doctor. It was ob-iotis that he spoke the truth. "Does anyone recognize hi 'ii :" All crowded about the Unknown, trying to read the riddle of his Identity. Iden-tity. Miss Cornelia rapidly revised her first impressions of the stranger. When he had fust fallen through the doorway Into l'.oi-esford's arms, she had not known what to think. Now, In the brighter light of the living room she saw that the still face, beneath Its mask of dirt and dried blood, was strong and fairly youthful If the man were u criminal, he belonged, like the Bat, to the upcr fringes of the world of crime. She nolcd mechanically that Ills hands and feet hail I n tied ends of frayed rope still dangled from his wrists and ankles. Ahd that terrible Injury on his head she shud dered and closed her eyes. "lines anyone recognize him?" repeated re-peated the doctor, but one by one the others shook Ihclr heads. Crook, casual tramp, or honest laborer unex pecledly caught In the sinister tolls of the CedarcrcHt afTnlr his Identity seemed a mystery to one and all. The Unknown Hllrreil feebly niaile an en'ort to sit up. Beresford anil the doctor caught him under the arms and helped him to his feel, lie stooil there swaying, a blank expression ou his face. "A chair !" said tin. doctor, qulckh "Ah" llo helped the si range figure lo sit down and bent over him again. "You're all right now, my friend." lie said In his best tones of profes slomil chcci Iness. "Dizzy n bit, aren't you?" The Unknown rubbed his wrists where his bonds had cut thvm. He niaile an etTort to speak. "Water 1" ho said In u low voice. Tho doctor gestured to Billy. "Get some water or whisky if there Is any that'd be better." Beresford had been looking about for the, detective, puzzled not to find him, as usual, in charge of affairs. Now, "Where's Anderson? This is o police matter!" he said, making a movement us if to go in search of him. The doctor stopped him quickly. "He was here a minute ago he'll be back presently," he said, praying to whatever gods he served that Anderson, An-derson, bound and gagged in the billiard bil-liard room, had not yet returned to consciousness. Unobserved by all except Miss Cor-uelia, Cor-uelia, the mention of the detective's name had caused a strange reaction in the Unknown. His eyes had opened . he had started the haze In his mind had seemed to clear away for a moment. Then, for some reason, his shoulders had slumped again and the look of apathy come back to his face. But, stunned or not, It seemed possible that he was not quite as dazed as he nppeared. The doctor gave the slumped shoulders shoul-ders a little shake. "House yourself, man!" he said. "What has happened to you?" "I'm dazed!" said the Unknown, thickly and slowly. "I can't remember." remem-ber." He passed a hand weakly over his forehead. "What a night!" sighed Miss Cornelia, Cor-nelia, sinking into a chair. "Kichard Fleming murdered in this house and now this !" The Unknown shot her a stealthy glance from bencaih lowered eyelids. But when she looked at him, his face was blank again. "Why doesn't somebody ask Ills name?" queried Dale. The doctor look Dale's suggestion. "Wliats' your name''' Silence from the Unknown and that blank stare of stupefaction. "Look at his papers." It was Mi.- Cornelia's voice. The doctor and Bailey searched the torn trousers pockets, llie pockets of the muddled shirt, while the I nknown submitted passively, not seeming to care what happened to him. But search him as they would it was in vain. "Not a paper on him." said Jack Bailey, at last, straightening up. A crash of breaking glass from the head of the alcove stairs put a period to his sentence. All turned toward the stairs or all except the Unknown, who, for a moment, half rose In his chair, his eyes gleaming, his faiv alert, llie mask of bewildered apathy gone from his face. As they watched, a rigid little fig ure of horror backed slowly down the alcove stairs and into the room Billy, the Japanese, his oriental placidity pla-cidity disturbed ut last, Incomprehensible Incomprehen-sible terror written In every line of his face. "Billy what It is?" Tlie diminutive butler made a pitiful piti-ful attempt at his usual grin. "It nothing." be gasped. The Unknown Un-known relapsed In his chair again tlie dazed stranger from nowhere. Beresford took llie Japanese by the shoulders. "Now see here!' 'he said sharply. "You've sovn something! What was It!" Billy trembled like a leaf. ' "Ghost! Ghost!" he muttered frantically, fran-tically, his face working. "lie's concealing something. Look at him!" Miss Cornelia stared at her servant. "Brooks, close llie door!' pointing at the terrace door In tlie alcove, al-cove, which still stood ajar after the entrance of the Unknown. Bailey moved to obey. But Just as he reached the alcove the terrace :x:i:x:x-:x-:x:x-:i-:x-:x:-x:-xvx-:- door slammed shut In tils face. At the . same moment every light In Cedar-crest Cedar-crest blinked and went out again. Bailey fumbled for the door-kuob in the sudden darkness. "The door's locked !" he said, incredulously. in-credulously. "The key's gone, too. Where's your revolver, Beresford?" "I dropped lu it the alcove when I caught that man," called Beresford, cursing himself for his carelessness. The illumiuated diul of Bailey's wrist watch dickered In the darkness dark-ness us he searched for the revolver a round, glowing spot of phosphorescence. phosphor-escence. Lizzie screamed. "The eye 1 The gleumiug eye ! X saw on the stairs I" she shrieked, pointing at It frenziedly. "Quick there's a caudle on the table light it somebody never mind the revolver I have one!" called Miss Cornelia. "Itighto !" culled Beresford, cheerily, in repiy. iae louuu me cauuie lit it The parly blinked ut each other for a moment, siill uuable quite to co-ordinate their Uiouguts. Bailey rattled the kuob of the door into the hall. "This door's locked, too!" be said, with increasing puzzlement. A gasp went over the group. They were locked in the room, while some devil-meut devil-meut was going ou in the rest of the house. That they knew. But what it might be, what form it might take, lliey had not the remotest idea. But it was not until Miss Cornelia took the caudle and proceeded toward tlie hall door to examine it that the full horror of the situation burst upon tliem. Neatly fasteued to tlie while panel of the door, chest high and hardly more thau just dead, was the body of a bat. Of what happened thereafter no one afterward remembered the details. To be shut in there, at die mercy of one who knew uo mercy, was intolerable. It was left for Miss Coruelia to remember re-member her own revolver, lying unnoticed unno-ticed ou tlie table since the crime earlier in tlie evening, and to suggest ils use in shattering the lock. Just what they had expected when the door was finally opened they did not kuow. But the house was quiet aud in order; uo new horror faced them in the hall ; their cahdle revealed re-vealed no bloody figure, their ears heard no unearthly sound. Slowly they began to search the house. Since no room was apparently immune from danger, the men made uo protest when the women insisted ou accompanying them. And as lime went on und chamber after chamber was discovered empty and undisturbed, undis-turbed, gradually the courage of llie party began to rise. Lizzie, siill whimpering, whim-pering, stuck closely to Miss Cornelia's Cor-nelia's heels, b'Jt that spirited lady began to make small side excursions of her own. Of the men, only Bailey, Beresford and tlie doctor could really be said to search at all. Billy had remained below, be-low, impassive of face but rolling of eye; tlie Unknown, after uu attempt to depart with them, had sunk back weakly into his chair again, and the detective, Anderson, was still unaccountably unac-countably missing. As time went on and the silence and peace remained unbroken, the conviction grew ou them that the Bat had In this manner achieved his object ob-ject and departed. Had done his work, signed it after bis usual fashion, fash-ion, and gone. And thus were matters when Miss Cornelia, happening ou llie attic staircase stair-case with Lizzie at her heels, decided to look about her up there. And went up. (TO I1B CONTINUED.) x:-x-:x:x:-x:x:-x:x-:-x-x-:-x:x:xT |